Eli trotted along a brightly lit subway terminal, weaving through the crowds of people waiting to board the train that had just stopped on his right. As a loudspeaker announced the train’s next stop, Eli carefully scanned the cement wall that ran along the terminal on his left. He distinctly remembered the description he was given of the man he was searching for: about sixty years of age, tall, clad in grey, and piercing blue eyes. Eli had been told that the man would be sitting on a wooden bench against the cement wall; however, there was no bench in sight. He began moving faster, carelessly jostling past people exiting the train. They paid no attention to him, brushing by as if he didn’t exist . Looks like rush hour… Eli thought. What a time to have a meeting arranged.
As the crowds gradually began to thin around him, Eli set his sights upon a man slumping on a bench far ahead. He wore a grey hat and coat; he appeared to be tall, slender, and wrinkled.
Though Eli was fairly confident in his initial assumption, it was not until he felt the man’s cold gaze upon him that his suspicions were confirmed: This was the person he was looking for. The man’s eyes were closely fixated on Eli as he drew nearer. When he had finally arrived at the bench, the man smiled dryly.
“You must be Eli,” he said. “Why don’t you sit down, son.”
Eli took his place on the bench, keeping a few feet of separation from the old man. For several minutes, they sat in silence, watching the people who passed by. The man’s eyes gleamed with curiosity as he gazed at them.
“It’s interesting to see them hurry about in their daily lives,” he chuckled. “I suppose they think they’ll simply work for a few decades, retire, spend some time with their families, and ultimately become one with the Earth again, ending it all. Little do they know...”
Although Eli found the man strange and daunting, he eventually worked up the nerve to speak to him. “Do you think any of them can see us?” he asked shyly.
The man shrugged. “Only very, very few people can,” he responded gruffly. “But no such person is present here. Tell me, Eli. How did you meet your end in this world in the first place? You appear to be nothing more than an adolescent.”
Eli stared down at the ground. “I got into a car crash as a sixteen-year-old,” he muttered.
“That was about three years ago.”
The man shook his head in sympathy. “Must’ve been tough to leave your loved ones behind so early.”
Eli lifted his eyes from the ground and shifted uncomfortably on the bench. “There wasn’t much to leave behind,” he replied grimly. “Most of my family had been killed by the virus long before my time came. The infectious agent had devastated the city I grew up in: Nearly half of the population fell victim to it.”
While Eli and his new companion had been conversing, the terminal had quickly become filled with bustling bodies once again. “Interesting,” said the man, as he watched the teeming mass of living flesh that writhed before him. “It appears these people are affected by no such virus.”
“The virus spreads slowly,” muttered Eli. “As of now, it only exists in a few regions of the world, but such will not be the case forever. While the virus’ spread is slow, it is steady and certain. There is no cure for it; it will someday claim all of humanity.”
The man laughed. “Good to know,” he said sarcastically. “I guess the Maw will soon be overflowing with poor souls. By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you: How’d you escape that God-forsaken place so quickly? You said you died only three years ago, which means you must’ve escaped the Maw in unprecedented time if you’re back here already. I’ve known souls who have battled there for decades – centuries even. What allowed you to find your way out so fast?”
Eli shuddered as he remembered his first moments in that hell. The last thing he had remembered was a car colliding with him as he was driving to school. The next instant, he was kneeling down in a clearing of dark grass, surrounded by dozens of other confused people.
Above them, a stately angel hovered in the air. He was tall and muscular, and the halo over his head dazzled with a blinding glare. Gazing down upon the terrified souls below, he explained their predicament. He explained that reality as they knew it consisted of five sub-worlds: the Living World, the Maw, the Void, Gehenna, and Paradise. The clearing that they knelt in was of the Maw, the place where souls are transferred after their respective bodies perish in the Living World.
The Maw is a dreadful test of willpower, subjecting its victims to grueling climate conditions, savage beasts, and ruthless hordes of demon-warriors. Any physical strength an individual possesses in the Living World is rendered useless in the Maw – only willpower is
necessary to prevail. Men, women, children, and elders all have an equal opportunity to succeed, so long as their desire to survive is powerful enough. In order to survive the Maw, individuals must journey from their respective spawn points - which are the areas where they first arrive - all the way to the Edge. A barren plain with the occasional cliff dropping into shadows here or there, the Edge is a land of triumph for all those who have weathered the dreaded journey across the Maw. Souls rejoice whenever it comes into view, for it, and it alone, is the place that grants escape. Every ten minutes or so, swirling vortexes of white, flaky material begin to appear spontaneously throughout the Edge. Closely resembling small flurries of snow, these vortexes serve as portals that transport wearied spirits out of the Maw. Few experiences grant more relief than the envelopment of oneself in those bright flakes, as the surrounding area begins to dissolve in a snowy mist.
Sadly, however, almost no one manages to complete the journey necessary to gain such an experience, for in the Maw, spirits die in much the same way people die in the Living World.
Thousands and thousands of miles must be traversed on foot to reach the Edge from any given spawn point, and multitudes of dangers are guaranteed to be found on the way; it is extremely rare that one should bypass these dangers unharmed.
For instance, many souls fall victim to the horrific fauna that reside in the Maw. Deadly cats with massive bodies and fangs lie in wait behind bushes and in trees, pouncing upon the unsuspecting passerby. Relentless hawks and eagles wheel down from the sky, tearing at the eyes and throat with their talons. Abnormally large mosquitoes and leeches dominate the marshlands, depriving victims of blood and often contributing to their gradual downfall. One could study the animals of the Maw for decades and would likely only encounter a small portion of the deadly beasts, so numerous and diverse they are.
Even so, the fauna does not claim so much as half of the souls that find their end in the Maw. The weather and climate conditions also claim a fair share of victims. Seldom is there a calm day in any area of the Maw, as its bright sun bears down with unrelenting rays upon the open spaces, and a frigid wind buffets those who dare journey through the mountains in the hopes of finding a shortcut to the Edge. Thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes all form without warning, tossing wanderers through the air like child’s play. Many victims are claimed by heat stroke or hypothermia, as there is little refuge from difficult weather in the Maw.
Of course, even if an individual does manage to brave the climate, they must still manage hunger and thirst, in addition to resisting disease. It is worth noting that one need not eat nearly as much in the Maw as would be required in the Living World, yet should a spirit undergo extended periods of time without consuming some strange plant or small animal, irresistible fatigue will set in, drastically lowering chances of survival. Likewise, a lack of water can lead to devastating results. To the undoing of many, the grounds of the Maw tend to hold little moisture, making it difficult to find water. Usually, it is only found through collecting rainwater, seeking a marshland, or drinking from a lake, though many avoid doing so for fear of being dragged in by some tentacled monstrosity.
Though food and drink remain essential in the Maw, one must remain wary regarding what and how much they ingest, as infectious microorganisms remain widespread and can prove problematic. Some of the diseases triggered by these infectious agents cause loss of function within various body parts; others cause psychological damage, initiating descent into insanity.
Regardless of specific effect, each disease in the Maw can be potentially devastating, and each requires significant strength to overcome.
While food, drink, and disease all present pressing issues in the Maw, they are merely trivial inconveniences compared to the terror evoked by the aberrations that are the demon-warriors. Hordes and hordes of them scour the land, destroying anything and everything they come across. Their bodies and faces are bony, with only a few scarce bits of flesh to be found on any given soldier. They wear dark, spiked armor on much of their torso and limbs, and they bear horned helmets upon their heads, similar to those of Vikings. Their eyes glow red with fury; their curved blades gleam menacingly. Terrifyingly, their skills in battle are exceptional, as they hack through helpless individuals with ease. Furthermore, they nearly always outnumber their victims, making retaliation on the part of those they attack hopelessly improbable.
These demon-warriors, along with the countless other horrors of the Maw, cause indescribable woe for those who reside there. Almost no one manages to reach the Edge and escape. Though some journey on for decades or even centuries, they nearly always perish at some point, bringing them to one of the next stages of reality.
For most, this next stage is the Void. As its name implies, the Void is nothing more than an endless pocket of darkness. Nothing exists there; when a victim of the Maw arrives at the Void, their soul is instantly expunged from existence. They feel no pain nor regret, and they do
not even experience their doom, so fast is the annihilation. Nothing remains of their form or consciousness: They are simply gone. This is the inevitable fate of the vast majority of those born into existence, but for those who have committed abominable transgressions while residing in the Living World, a different consequence lies after they are eliminated in the Maw.
This consequence is Gehenna, the realm of the wicked. In truth, this reality is little different from the Maw, but its few distinctions are still notable. For one, there is no escape from Gehenna as there is from the Maw. Also, if an individual should perish in Gehenna, that individual’s spirit will be regenerated and will live on. As such, Gehenna is a realm of unending terror and lamentation.
Considering all of this, the outlook for human spirits would appear quite grim. The Living World, the Maw, the Void, and Gehenna: All seem to inevitably lead to nothingness or despair. There is, however, one more realm that exists as a component of reality. This realm is known as Paradise, and it is a land of absolute peace and safety. Far more favorable than the Living World, Paradise is the ultimate reward for those who manage to brave the most daunting of hardships. In fact, Paradise is where those who traverse the Maw and reach the Edge have a chance to inhabit.
Of course, one does not simply arrive in Paradise directly after exiting the Maw, as yet another challenge must be overcome in order to enter the most coveted of lands. For this challenge, spirits are transported back to the Living World, but not as the same flesh they once were as humans. Rather, these spirits exist as Sentinels: invisible guardians of humanity. It is a Sentinel’s responsibility to ensure, to the best of their ability, that humans are steered free of harm. If a Sentinel serves the Living World long enough and does their job well, they will find their place in Paradise.
Presently, Eli continued to tremble, recalling his most recent experiences. After he had braved pangs of hunger and a relentless sun, warded off demon-warriors, scaled towering peaks, and struggled against the many other challenges of the Maw, Eli had finally reached the Edge.
He remembered how he was enveloped in one of the enchanting portals, his senses fading as he was overcome by bliss.
No sooner had the surroundings of the Maw disappeared around him than did Eli find himself lying in a field of dry grass, with trash scattered about - he had returned to the Living World. Rising to his feet, Eli noticed that he had assumed the same appearance of the body he
had possessed as a living human, just as he had in the Maw. He had the same long, dark hair; he still appeared to be of average height, but he also appeared strongly built. Upon his body were the clothes he had worn on the day he was killed in his car: a black sweatshirt, a pair of jeans, and a pair of tattered work boots. Of course, at this point he was just a spirit, with no earthly connection to the ground on which he stood.
Gazing out in front of him, Eli noticed that the tall buildings of a city loomed up in the distance. Before he could determine his next plan of action, a mystical voice sounded in his head. Intriguingly, it was not the type of voice one hears during a hallucination or a dream or a thought. This voice had authority; it seemed as real as a human voice that sent physical sound waves to the ears. Eli felt he could do nothing else but obey it. It seemed to belong to a female, and it told him that he was now a Sentinel.
The voice explained that he would walk the Earth as a ghost, serving the people of the land. It said that the timing of his arrival was fortunate, as all the Sentinels of the world were about to gather in a single location – an event that was almost unprecedented. It then proceeded to give him careful directions to the location of gathering for the Sentinels.
Eli was led by the voice into the city, past massive buildings and crowds of busy people.
Everything seemed unfamiliar to him, and he realized that he had not the slightest idea as to which city he was in. Nonetheless, the voice continued to guide him along until he arrived at the entrance of a subway station. It then described the person he was to meet inside the station – an old Sentinel named Jack. Shortly afterward, Eli found Jack, the man he currently sat next to on the bench. Jolted back to the present from his thoughts, Eli realized that he had never answered Jack’s question about his escape from the Maw.
He regained his bearings and turned to face the old soul. “I must admit,” began Eli slowly. “Some of my memories from the Maw are a bit cloudy, perhaps because some experiences are too terrible to bring to consciousness, or because I simply dashed through the place in a blaze of blinded fury. I do remember feeling a deep anger that burned to the very core of my being when I first arrived. I was furious that my time in the Living World had been cut short so soon; I felt that I had been cheated. Refusing to accept oblivion, I began my journey through the Maw with an unyielding power of will. I seldom stopped for anything, trampling any beasts that crossed my path and striking down the demon-warriors that assaulted me from either side. The trek felt as long as a millennium, yet as short as a few hours, like some form of
bizarre dream. No matter what catastrophe was imminent, my resolve remained steadfast, as I pressed onward relentlessly. And just as the energy of my spirit-body felt as if it would give way to debilitating exhaustion, I reached the Edge. Basking in triumph, I wandered to the nearest portal, ending my days in the Maw and bringing me before you today.”
Jack had been listening to Eli’s tale attentively, leaning towards him in anticipation.
When the story was finished, the elderly Sentinel scratched his chin thoughtfully.
“Huh, I never would’ve guessed you had so much fight in you,” he said. “I suppose you really can’t judge a book by its cover.”
As he finished saying this, the terminal became filled with a low, metallic hum. Jack casually looked above to see a patch of black nothingness spreading across the roof of the terminal.
“Well!” he shouted, raising his voice above the increasing volume of the humming sound. “I guess it’s time.”
Eli jumped to his feet in surprise as the floor and bench also began to become enveloped in darkness.
“Time for what?” he inquired in disbelief.
The darkness spread throughout the entire terminal, blotting out the crowds of people inside. Within seconds, Eli could see nothing around him but compressing shadows. The humming noise ceased, and all was silent. Then, having lost all sense of direction, Eli noticed a bright tunnel appear in front of him. The light it emanated was too bright to determine where it led or what was in it, and Eli shielded his eyes from the glare.
He heard the quiet sound of Jack’s footsteps and voice as his shadowy outline moved towards the tunnel. “Come along, Eli! Don’t be afraid. Besides, I’m sure you still have many unanswered questions. Now is the time of enlightenment!” Jack vanished into the tunnel, and reluctantly, Eli followed.